STOCKTON, Calif. — In his first game back since injuring his finger more than two weeks ago, BYU forward Yoeli Childs scored 26 points and collected nine rebounds against Pacific.
But guard Jake Toolson almost overshadowed Childs’ performance by taking over the game and single-handedly breaking it open in the second half.
“I saw a couple go down and I was just feeling it. We were getting stops and went on a run. It was a lot of fun.” — BYU’s Jake Toolson
Toolson, who finished with a game-high 28 points, knocked down four 3-pointers during a 21-0 run in the Cougars’ 74-60 victory over the Tigers at the Spanos Center Thursday night.
“I saw a couple go down and I was just feeling it. We were getting stops and went on a run. It was a lot of fun,” Toolson said. “The energy in this building was crazy. I’m just glad we got the win. It was a huge game for us.”
BYU lead 40-31 early in the second half but Jahlil Tripp, who scored a team-high 18 points, kept Pacific close. Later, the Tigers seized the lead, 53-51, after an 8-0 run, including back-to-back 3-pointers by Austin Vereen and Jeremiah Bailey.
But that would be the beginning of the end for Pacific.
The Cougars answered by scoring 21 straight points, which included four Toolson 3s. Toolson finished with six 3-pointers, going 6 of 8 from distance.
BYU (15-6, 4-2) earned its second true road win of the season, its first since beating Houston back in November. The Cougars are now 7-1 this season with Childs on the floor and 8-5 without him.
“It’s awesome. Best day ever. It sucks when I can’t help this team out there on the court,” Childs said of his return. “It feels so good to be back out here. I was struggling early. It was weird getting back into it but the guys were super supportive as always.”
Pacific dropped to 15-7 and 3-3.
BYU couldn’t have started the game much worse.
The Cougars missed their first few shots and turned the ball over twice in their first four possessions. Childs’ first shot — a 3-pointer — since coming back from his injury clanged off the rim.
Pacific jumped out to an 8-0 lead, but BYU remained poised and started to hit shots. Trailing 12-5, the Cougars went on a 10-2 run, which began with a 3-pointer by Childs. BYU subsequently took its first lead of the game, 15-14, on Toolson’s steal and breakaway layup.
Midway through the half, the Cougars asserted themselves during a critical stretch that saw BYU score 10 consecutive points.
After missed shot by the Tigers, Pacific’s Amari McCray threw Zac Seljaas to the floor. Seljaas was awarded two free throws and McCray was ejected from the game.
The Cougars enjoyed their largest lead of 28-21 with eight minutes left in the half.
The Tigers responded by scoring eight in a row to retake the lead 29-28. But a Toolson 3-pointer and a bucket by Childs lifted BYU to a 33-29 halftime lead.
The Cougars outscored Pacific 33-21 after falling behind 8-0 early on.
BYU visits San Francisco Saturday afternoon.
TIP-INS: Guard TJ Haws made his 122nd consecutive start Thursday, tying Jeff Chatman for most consecutive starts in school history. … Childs is tied with Kresimir Cosic for sixth-most 20-point games in BYU history with 38.